


ocean's breath

by serise



Series: if i could fly [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Day At The Beach, Gen, MANGA SPOILERS CH 106, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Manga Spoilers, anime onlies u can read soon hehe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27951710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serise/pseuds/serise
Summary: a snapshot following the events of my story "if i could fly"could also be read stand alone but the oc character is the same :)spoilers for chapter 106 of the snk manga. i apologize anime onlys but you will be able to read soon!!<3
Relationships: Eren Yeager/Reader
Series: if i could fly [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046995
Comments: 17
Kudos: 156





	ocean's breath

You draw sand between your fingers, feeling each grain pass against your skin. You haven't gotten used to it- the sensation of these small pebbles, so small you struggle to pick up one on its own. And not only is it the feeling of sand, it's the feeling of it all. The wind that feels so soft and sweet against your cheeks, not whipping against them like when you ride a horse. The smell of the water, crisp and unique to the way the dirty rivers inside the walls are. The sounds of birds you'd never heard before, cawing away as they search for a lonely crab to eat off the shore.

It's so new, still.  
It's very beautiful.

"Y/N,"

You open your eyes, the sun bright against them. You bring a hand up, needing shade to help as you blink. When you look to your left, Eren has returned from the docks, standing in his gear, still steaming from having exited his titan. 

Your gaze shifts to the giant decomposing body slightly offshore. He doesn't like to come all the way back up in case there are any stragglers clinging onto him. He just leaves the titan in the water and uses the post someone built to maneuver down. 

"All done?" you ask, your voice quiet.   
Eren nods.   
You pat the sand beside you. "Sit down."  
He just stares.

You close your eyes again. It helps if you don't look while it's happening. You can drown out the sound, but it bothers you to watch.

Caw, caw, caw. They're called seagulls, apparently. Sasha thinks they look appetizing. You think they might be too annoying to kill, and anyway, how loud they are is good out here. 

"We should leave," Eren says.  
You open one eye, squinting at him. He hasn't moved an inch. "Why?"  
"I'm done."  
"Well I like the air out here," you say, and his mouth shuts. He never argues when you say that. So you keep it as your failsafe.

Eren sits down next to you, but he crosses his legs and leans over, not as relaxed as you leaning back on the palms of your hands with your head tipped back to feel the sun. You close your eyes again.

"It doesn't bother you?" he asks. You hum in question, and he sighs. "The... the screaming."  
"It'll die down soon," you respond. "Like two minutes."

It doesn't take that long for a ship of people to drown. You've learned that. 

"What do you think of this?" Eren says. "What I have to come out here and do."

You take a deep breath, and let it out. You knew he was going to ask you this question eventually. It seems like nowadays, Eren is always thinking so much. Thinking about whatever choices he has in his head that none of you know about. Everyone else wants to pretend like things never changed, but you know they did. He is different. You are all different now. 

Eren the most, though.

You open your eyes, gazing out at the sea. The ship has sunk, and everything has gone quiet now. If you were by the docks, you might see a hand or two grasp out at the sky, the last of the sailors hoping God might save them.  
But you are far enough away that you only have to imagine it. 

"I'm on your side, Eren." you tell him, patting his hand. The waves are gentle, lapping at the shore. You can even see it from here. "I'm always trying my best... to understand you."

A few seconds go by, and then you feel Eren's hand turn yours over. He interlocks your fingers, and holds on. 

"Thanks," he says, and it's quiet, but you can hear the weight in his voice. 

You turn to look at him. He looks down at you. He's taller now, the gap between the two of you growing every year that passes. It's noticeable even now when you're sitting.

You match eyes, and you nearly wince.  
He is Eren, but in a way, he is not.   
He's just different.

You think he might say something, but instead, he just reaches up with his other hand and brushes your hair back.   
Your breath catches in your throat, and you look away. You wish he wouldn't do that stuff anymore.

Eren shifts around until he's laying on his back. You glance over and he's shut his eyes, the sunlight glimmering against his tan face and long hair. 

"You're gonna get sand everywhere," you mutter.  
"It's fine," he says. "...I'll remember you said that, by the way."  
You raise a brow. "Said what?"  
"That you're on my side," Eren's lip just barely lifts up on one side. "I hope you mean it."  
"Of course I mean it," you mumble, and he shakes your hands. "Everything's going to work out if we all stay together."  
He's quiet after that. You think about asking if he agrees, but you're worried about him giving a cryptic answer like he normally does. 

"Y/N," Eren says, and his voice is gentle, like when you were young. It tugs at your heartstrings, and for a moment, when you glance back at him, you see an image of him from your past. An image of a boy who you wanted, who wanted you back, and who keeps fading away. "Come back here with me next time too. You're the only one who trusts me now."  
You frown. "That's not true, Eren."  
"In the Survey Corps, you are," he specifies. "Just say you will."

You pause. You wish he wouldn't leave out Mikasa and Armin this way. Mikasa will always trust him. She loves him still.

"I'll come," you tell him. "You still wanna leave?"

When he gets like this, it makes you nervous.

"Just a little longer," Eren says. "I like to hold your hand."  
You look away sharply again, and swallow. 

"...Fine," you mumble, and shuffle until you're lying down beside him. You like the ambience anyway, everything put together about the beach now that it's quiet. 

Eren squeezes your hand.

You squeeze his back.

**Author's Note:**

> hello :)  
> sorry for being a failure and not updating if i could fly, but in celebration of season 4 i wanted to post something small for all you manga readers (and soon anime watchers) to read~ just a lil taste, a lil nibble
> 
> pls forgive if details arent accurate i read this part of the manga 2 years ago haha
> 
> i hope you enjoy! <3 much love from a dreadfully swamped with irl work snk fan


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